History of the Disability Rights Movement in Montana

The disability rights movement gained steam in the 1980s across the United States, including Montana.

“The Independent Living Movement grew out of civil rights movements of the late 60s and early 70s,” said Scott Birkenbuel, Chief Executive Officer of Ability Montana. The sit-ins, peaceful protests, and civil disobedience of the civil rights movement were a big inspiration to the organizers in the disability rights movement.

“It took until the 80s before the civil rights movement reached the disabled communities across Montana,” said Birkenbuel. He pointed out that rural areas like Montana often see change come more slowly than in more populated regions of the United States because of sparse population and limited resources. Organizations like the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) – founded in 1986 – work to bridge those gaps today.

The disability rights movement led to nationwide changes, as well as local impact in our Montana communities.

Advocate with us. 

The foundation for disability rights in Montana

The movement going on across the country in the late 20th century laid the groundwork for change to start churning in Montana.

The first Centers for Independent Living (CIL)

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) got their start in the 1970s in California. Ed Roberts and other students with disabilities at Berkeley pushed for the right to make decisions about their lives and housing.

Roberts used an iron lung after contracting polio when he was younger. Because of his medical device, he was restricted to living in a medical facility with an early curfew, since university housing was not accessible. In 1972, he received federal funding to start the first CIL. The aim was to offer the support that people with disabilities needed to live in the community.

The Rehabilitation Act

The Rehabilitation Act was passed in 1973. It includes a set of rules to ensure rights for people with disabilities in federal hiring. It also provides grant funding for states to offer services for people with disabilities. These include employment services and independent living services. In 1978, the act received an amendment to provide federal funding to create a national network of CILs.

The Capitol Crawl

Activists took to the capitol building in Washington D.C. in 1990 for the famous Capitol Crawl protest. Leaving their mobility devices behind and crawling up the steps made a powerful statement about the lack of access to public, tax-paid buildings. The protest demonstrated how inaccessible buildings put up harmful barriers for people with disabilities trying to live their lives.

Americans with Disabilities Act

President George HW Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law in 1990. This law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday life. It solidifies the rights of people with disabilities to access housing, government services, transit, and employment.

Montana organizations in the disability rights movement

Legislation and organization around the country spurred the disability rights movement in Montana. These key local organizations formed in the 80s to support people with disabilities, contributing to the local movement.

Montana Independent Living Project

Founded in 1981, mILp (now Ability Montana) was one of the first two Independent Living Centers in the state. Today, the organization is governed by a consumer-controlled Board of Directors whose lives have been personally impacted by a disability.

With offices in Bozeman, Butte, and Helena, Ability Montana serves 14 Counties in Southwest Montana. Our mission is to promote independence for people with disabilities, offering advocacy, peer mentoring, programs, and community gatherings and events around the region.

Summit Independent Living Center

Along with mILp, Summit received a grant for federal funding in 1980 and got the funds to begin operating in Missoula in 1981. Today they serve Northwest Montana, with their service area beginning in Ravalli County and extending north to the Canadian border.

North Central Independent Living Services

North Central Independent Living Services received funding to open in 1988. At the time, mILp and Summit Independent Living Center each provided services to half the state, divided into north and south sections, so the expansion in the number of Independent Living Centers serving individuals with disabilities had a big impact.

Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow

Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow received funding in 1988 as well, providing independent living services out of Billings for all of Southeast Montana.

Eagle Mount

Established in 1982 to offer a small adaptive ski program, Eagle Mount started in the height of the disability rights movement. Today, Eagle Mount provides adaptive recreation opportunities to people with disabilities in the Bozeman area. With activities from skiing to swimming, climbing, gardening, and other outdoor recreation, Eagle Mount serves nearly 1,000 people each year.

Disability rights today and tomorrow

As we look ahead to the future of disability rights, we now have a foundation to build on.

“As the future unfolds, we believe there will continue to be an increase in equity and inclusion for people living with disabilities, building on the work that has been hard fought and accomplished in the last 45 to 50 years” said Birkenbuel. “Developing physical access to buildings and public spaces; knocking down physical barriers that kept people with disabilities from accessing government, public spaces, housing, and even their families; changes in attitudes towards people with disabilities – attitudes that caused people with disabilities to be segregated from our communities and housed in institutions.”

“Today there are various supports and services to help people with disabilities direct their own lives, live in their own homes, find employment, financially support themselves, and become a vibrant part of the social fabric of all our communities.”

Of course, advocacy isn’t over yet.

“There's still very limited accessible housing, but it is available, where in the early 80s, nobody even knew what accessible housing was,” he said.

“It shouldn't be unusual to see people with disabilities working and having families and living, just living, independently like everyone else in the community, and not being segregated out of the social makeup of the communities,” said Birkenbuel.

It’s those impactful changes in everyday life that will pave the way toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible future. Systems Advocacy and Self-advocacy are powerful tools to make change, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Ability Montana is there to offer a helping hand when you need it. Reach out to learn more about our programs, and see how you can live independently with a disability.